DRESS Syndrome can change people's lives, often unexpectedly. DRESS survivor Christina Ledford shares personal insights into what she wishes she had known about DRESS Syndrome

My reaction to the medication modafinil started as a rash. Not an itching one, but a burning one — like a sunburn hiding under my skin. I felt pain, acute pain, and I was medically dismissed. Even when the fever followed and nothing brought it down, the medical response was the same: minimal testing, patronizing words, and a conviction that I was just being hysterical.

DRESS Syndrome can deeply affect every part of a person’s life: physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Many patients find themselves feeling anxious, uncertain, or even grieving their sense-of-self and loss of safety they once had. These feelings can especially happen when taking new medications or learning to trust their body again.

From March 7 – 11, dermatologists and non-medical professionals gathered from around the world in DRESS Syndrome Foundation Executive...